Girlfriend on Mars

(Paperback, Main)

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'Every detail is sharply placed ... a scorching sense of humor and a soft spot for humanity down here on Earth' The New York Times

'Fleishman Is In Trouble, but in space' Bobby Palmer

A NEW YORK TIMES READERS' FAVOURITE OF 2023

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE

Kevin is a thirtysomething homebody, happily committed to his hydroponics-expert girlfriend, Amber, as they grow weed in their basement in Vancouver.

Out of the blue, Amber announces that she has been selected for a reality show where she will compete for one of two seats on the first human-led mission to Mars. If selected, she must stay on Mars for good, because the technology to come home doesn't exist yet. Is this a suicide mission or a bold new frontier

Girlfriend on Mars is the story of love unravelling in a world where truth is dictated by Facebook ads and 'reality TV' is as scripted as any politician's speech. With rapt viewers voting for Amber to stay on the show and crates of Mars-mission branded protein shakes arriving at his door, is it any wonder Kevin wants to stay in the basement forever

Reviews

'Energetic, wise-cracking style ... horribly convincing' - Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

'A bleak yet darkly funny story that dissects with compassion and wit the reality of reality TV and the fantasy of escaping eco-catastrophe by moving to another planet.' - Lisa Tuttle

'Girlfriend on Mars pulls off that most unusual balancing act; humour, heartbreak and biting social commentary - the writing is feather-light and scalpel-sharp.' - Keiran Goddard, author of Hourglass

'Funny, increasingly touching and occasionally shocking, I can't imagine any fiction lovers not enjoying this sparky debut ... quirky and highly amusing' - Big Issue, hottest fiction 2023

'It's the sundry strains of long-term relationships that are under the microscope most here, and the author tackles these with deftness and bags of humour ... readers are kept guessing about how this one will play out right until the last.' - Crack magazine Book of the Month

Author Bio

Deborah Willis is a Canadian writer based in Calgary, Alberta. Her first story collection, Vanishing and Other Stories, was shortlisted for Canada's Governor General's Award for Fiction. Her second collection, The Dark and Other Love Stories, was longlisted for the 2017 Giller Prize and won the Georges Bugnet Award for best work of fiction published in Alberta. Her fiction and nonfiction has appeared in The Walrus, The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Iowa Review, Lucky Peach, and Zoetrope. Girlfriend on Mars is her first novel.